Noble & Cooley
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Noble & Cooley is a drum manufacturing company based out of Granville, Massachusetts, mainly known for its snare drums.
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[edit] History
The company has been in operation since 1854, when Silas Noble and James Cooley starting building marching snare drums for the Union Army. The company also made toy drum sets for children through most of the 1900s. In the early 1980s, company vice-president Jay Jones (Great-great-great grandson of James Cooley) decided to enter the professional drum arena. He worked closely with designer Bob Gatzen and pulled out of retirement a steam bending machine that was old enough to have survived a fire in 1889. Noble & Cooley first offered its SS Classic solid shell snare drums in 1983. Since then, the company has created many other professional wood and metal snare drums and complete drum sets.
In 1989, and again in 2003, Noble & Cooley teamed up with Zildjian to create snare drums made out of cymbal alloy. These drums were made in very limited quantities and are some of the most collectible drums on the market today.
[edit] Current products
- CD Maples - These are a set of custom designed drums (hence the CD) made to order. Drums in this series are made to individual requirements and the customer has some input in deciding what sizes of drums and hoops are to be used.
- SS Classic Snares - Still produced today, this solid-shelled snare was the first N&C drum model released for professional use in 1983.
- Alloy Classic Snares - Has an aluminum shell that is cast and machined rather than cold-rolled.
- CD Snares - Meant to complement the CD Maple kits.
- SE Snares - The SE in the name stands for "Special Edition". These snare drums borrow innovations from some of the other drums in Noble & Cooley's line.
[edit] Discontinued products
- Studio Classic Series - The Studio Classics series (kits and snares) were built with the idea of offering a high quality kit at a more affordable price. The kits were made from the exact same shells as CD Maples but offered in a limited assortment of colors and sizes to reduce costs. The kits also used a different, less expensive, tube style lug that saved of the overall cost.
[edit] Endorsers
The company has a list of endorsers on its website, including Bill Stevenson (Descendents), Dave Joyal (Silent Drive), Bob Mahoney (Bane), and Mike Pedicone (The Bled). Herman Rarebell (Scorpions), Alex Van Halen (Van Halen), and Steve White (Session Legend) have used Noble & Cooley snare drums in their setup, even though the rest of their kit is from a different manufacturer. Phil Collins has played the 3 7/8x14" SS Classic Piccolo since its introduction, and Tre Cool of Green Day calls the 7x14 SS Classic his most prized and "still go-to" snare which he purchased for $600 before recording Dookie in 1993.
